FRONT PAGE THIS MORNING.

>> Mary: YOU'RE A BUSY MAN.

>> Eric: THANKS FOR COMING OVER.

FEDERAL CUTS TO PUBLIC BROADCAST MEDIA ARE BEING FELT NATIONALLY, INCLUDING HERE AT TPT.

FOR SMALLER, INDEPENDENT STATIONS THE LOSS I GREATER.

REPORTER KAOMI LEE WENT TO THE WHITE EARTH RESERVATION TO VISIT AN INDIGENOUS INDEPENDENT RADIO STATION.

>> IT IS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8TH, 2025.

>> TERRY GOOD SKY IS THE RESIDENT DJ AND HOST AT NIIJII RADIO.

>> I'M THE MORNING GUY FOR NIIJII RADIO.

[ SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ] >> THE STATION'S MOTTO IS "HOME OF BEAUTIFULLY RANDOM MUSIC."

>> WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE THEY WERE LIKE WHAT DO YOU BRING TO THE TABLE?

WELL, I BRING A VARIETY OF MUSIC AND EXPERTISE AS A SINGER, DANCER, POW WOW PERSON.

LET'S GET INTO OUR WEATHER CONDITIONS HERE FOR THE WHITE EARTH AREA.

>> ON THE TALK OF THE TERRY SHOW, YOU'LL HEAR BAD JOKES.

>> WHICH U.S.

STATE HAS THE SMALLEST SOFT DRINKS?

MNI SOTA!

>> AND YOU'LL HEAR PRIDE AND CULTURE.

>> GOOD MORNING OR [ SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ] , WHICH MEANS GOOD MORNING.

>> HE SAYS IT'S A JOB THAT HE ENJOYS.

>> I LIKE TO MAKE PEOPLE SMILE AND HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, ENJOY THEMSELVES IN THE MORNING.

>> WE'RE HEARD ALL OVER THE WORLD BECAUSE OF OUR STREAMING.

>> MAGGIE ROUSU IS STATION MANAGER OF KKWE OR NIIJII RADIO.

SHE'S AN ENROLLED MEMBER OF THE WHITE EARTH NATION.

HE HEADS A NON-PROFIT CALLED THE WHITE EARTH LAND RECOVERY PROJECT THAT OWNS THE STATION.

THE STATION TRAVELS TO BROADCAST MEETINGS OF THE MINNESOTA CHIPPEWA TRIBE EACH YEAR.

>> WE FEEL LIKE IT'S IMPORTANT FOR OUR PEOPLE HERE TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE GOVERNANCE LEVEL.

WE ALSO AIR OUR TRIBAL COUNCIL MEETINGS SO PEOPLE STAY INFORMED.

>> LET'S GET INTO THIS DATE IN NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY, AND THIS IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY AMERICAN INDIAN.NET.

>> THE STATION'S TRANSMITTER HAS A 50-MILE RADIUS FROM ITS TOWER IN PINE POINT, HAS LISTENERS FROM HOLLY TO MAHNOMEN TO BEMIDJI.

SHE SAYS ELDERS HOMEBOUND AND OVERSEAS MILITARY LISTENING ONLINE ESPECIALLY RELY ON NIIJII RADIO TO STAY CONNECTED.

ROUSU SAYS PROGRAMMING CAN HELP CORRECT FALSE NARRATIVES ABOUT NATIVE PEOPLE.

>> WE HAVE LISTENERS THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF THE RESERVATION.

THERE IS A STORE OWNER IN PURIM AND HE CALLED IN AND SAID HE WANTED TO DONATE TO THE STATION.

AND THEN HE TOLD ME THAT HE DEVELOPED A WHOLE DIFFERENT UNDERSTANDING OF NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE REALLY WANT TO DO IS BUILD BRIDGES THAT CONNECT OUR NATIVE PEOPLE, ANISHINAABE, TO THE GREATER COMMUNITY.

>> UT NIIJII RADIO IS IN A FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL.

THE STATION IS FACING A NEARLY 50% CUT IN FUNDING FOR OPERATIONS.

>> I DON'T THINK THEY UNDERSTAND COMMUNITY STATIONS AT ALL.

WHEN I TALK ABOUT IMPACT, I'M TALKING NOT ONLY ABOUT DELIVERING EDUCATION AND INFORMATION, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE ABILITY FOR HEALING.

WE AS A PEOPLE HAVE SUFFERED THROUGH COLONIZATION AND A LOT OF THINGS WERE TAKEN.

WE HAVE A HEALING SONGS, WE HAVE TRAVEL SONGS, WE HAVE SONGS THAT HELP US MOVE FORWARD.

>> MOVING FORWARD IS WHAT NIIJII RADIO IS TRYING TO DO.

ROUSU IS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO COME UP WITH $800 A DAY TO PAY ITS TRANSMITTER BILL, KEEP A HANDFUL OF STAFF, AND CONTINUE TO AIR ITS NATIONAL PROGRAMMING.

ROUSU HAS JUST HIRED A MARKETING PERSON AND WILL REACH OUT TO WHITE EARTH AND OTHERS TO RAISE REVENUE.

>> IS THERE REAL DANGER THAT NIIJII RADIO COULD GO AWAY?

>> THERE IS.

>> IT'S A REALITY THAT MANY SMALL PUBLIC BROADCASTERS ARE FACING.

LAKELAND PUBLIC TELEVISION LOST MORE THAN A THIRD OF ITS FUNDING FROM THE CPB.

ITS NIGHTLY NEWSCASTS ARE SCENE THROUGH MUCH OF THE CENTRAL NORTHLAND.

>> FOR US WE HAVE NOT MADE ANY DRASTIC CUTS AT THIS POINT.

WE'RE ALREADY A VERY, VERY LEAN OPERATION.

>> ONE OF THE CASUALTIES WAS THE STATION'S PUBLIC AFFAIRS SHOW "LAKELAND CURRENTS."

CEO HENG SAYS THE STATION HAS SOME RESERVES THAT CAN KEEP THEM AFLOAT ABOUT A YEAR.

AN AGGRESSIVE FUND-RAISING CAMPAIGN IS IN THE WORK.

>> THAT'S GOING TO TOUCH ON ALL DIFFERENT AREAS, FOUNDATIONS, INDIVIDUAL GIVING, MAJOR DONORS, SPECIAL EVENTS, WE'RE LOOKING AT EVERYTHING AT THIS POINT.

>> LIKE NIIJII RADIO, LAKELAND PBS DOES RECEIVE SOME STATE FUNDING, HOWEVER THAT FUNDING CAN FLUCTUATE AND WAS REDUCED THIS YEAR.

IN MAY THE STATION JOINED NATIONAL PBS IN A LAWSUIT OVER PRESIDENT TRUMP'S EXECUTIVE ORDER TO CANCEL FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PUBLIC MEDIA.

>> IT WAS JUST A WAY OF STANDING UP FOR PUBLIC MEDIA STATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

>> THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS ITING SOUGHT TO END TAXPAYER FUNDED MEDIA IT SAYS IS BIASED.

NEW FUNDING MODELS ARE EMERGING.

PHILANTHROPISTS AND INDIVIDUAL DONORS HAVE ALREADY ANNOUNCED PLANS TO POOL MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR PUBLIC MEDIA.

AT NIIJII RADIO, EFFORTS TO PRESERVE ANISHINAABE CULTURE IS AT THE CORE OF WHAT THEY DO.

MAGGIE ROUSU SAYS THEY'LL SOON INSTALL A BACK-UP TRANSMITTER AND ASK FOR ON-AIR PLEDGE DONATIONS.

>> WHAT I REALLY FEEL IS IF PEOPLE LISTEN AND THEY START TO LEARN ABOUT WHO WE ARE AS NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE, AS ANISHINAABE PEOPLE, THEY WILL SEE THE